Idiot Proof Free Backup Software for Vista 32bit?

This is an odd one and I don't have any good answers.

I am looking for idiot proof backup software preferably free that will run on ancient 32 bit Vista. Initial configuration is fine but once set up and installed it needs to do a full backup (or incremental one if possible) on a more or less obvious single button click.

Ordinarily I would go for Paragon Backup & Revovery Free but there only seems to be a download option for 64 bit versions these days :(

Any suggestions for something that would do. This has to be usable by extreme technophobes who have a very limited understanding of computers so I need to be able to configure it as a single button press to backup.

There is no scope for changing OS from Vista or any of their prehistoric software. Until I got involved it was never backed up (scary)!

(cross posted to demon.service since a few wizards still hang out there)

Reply to
Martin Brown
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I use an xcopy batch file, triggered each day by "Create Synchronicity" (free)

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has the advantage that you can mirror, zip or increntally update your backups exactly as you wish via a windows batch file. Will work across all Window platforms.

Reply to
Andy Bennet

I use Backup maker version 7 on my XP system and there has been no hint of it not wanting to work with my OS. I don't know if it will play nicely with vista but worth a try. I set it to do incremental back ups each night and a full one every three days and the back up server itself delete files more than a few weeks old and empties the bin.

This page

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says that it will work with Vista.

Reply to
Bob Minchin

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Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

En el artículo , Martin Brown escribió:

Bvckyp.

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So good I actually paid for it. Simple, reliable, lightning quick, great support.

You set up the backup jobs for them in advance.

They click backup job, press Go, done. Or it can be scheduled to run at whatever intervals you want.

I remember all the whinging about the news server, KA9Q, nntp kick, and Giles snacking on babies.

Reply to
Mike Tomlinson

Might be worth trying Synkron - cross platform and open source:

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(not tried it under vista, but probably ok)

Reply to
John Rumm

Whatever backup program you go for, IMHO it needs to make an exact file-for-file, folder-for-folder copy of the C: folders onto the backup drive. That way you can easily navigate a folder structure on the backup which is an exact replica of the one on the C drive, as you locate any file which you need to copy back to the C drive if the C copy has got trashed.

I use MS SyncToy for my backups because it makes file/folder copies. This is in contrast to many backup programs which add everything to one big proprietary-format backup file on the backup drive, which requires the corresponding program to be used to extract a file that has to be restored. If that backup file gets corrupted in any way, you may have lost all your backup, whereas corruption of a few files on the backup leaves everything else intactl

It's the same reason why I prefer Windows Mail (Vista) or Windows Live Mail (Win 7, 8, 10) to MS Outlook, because WM and WLM use a separate file for each email whereas Outlook mushes everything into a single PST file; firstly the whole file has to be backed up every time, secondly corruption may result in loss of all emails.

SyncToy requires a little bit of configuring to begin with (defining each of the folder-pairs to be backed up) and then it is a two click operation (one click to start program, another to say "Run", because it remembers that last time you did "All Folders" and defaults to the same this time. If you want the added security of seeing what it is about to delete or overwrite on the backup, it's an extra click on Preview, followed by Run, as before.

Reply to
NY

It might not do any harm to image the drive using gnu ddrescue so that there is a way forward when the inevitable happens and the original installation discs are long lost.

John

Reply to
jrwalliker

I wonder if it will work with a screenreader. I have a similar issue here but also just tto complicate things a couple of 64 bit windows 7 machines, one on a remote site with less than computer literate users.

Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

On Win7 64bit I like Paragon Backup & Recovery Free but I have no idea how well it works with a screen reader.

Reply to
Martin Brown

If just protecting 'my documents', then perhaps redirect that to a dropbox folder? Then backup and tracking step version changes should be automatic.

Reply to
Adrian Caspersz

dsynchronize is versatile and good for this sort of thing.

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Reply to
Richard

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I think we need to know what the intended purpose of the "backup" is.

If it's recovery of _data_, then I second SyncToy which someone mentioned (though some of the others probably work as well).

If it's restoration of a hosed system, I wouldn't use anything that runs from within the running system, I'd use something that can be run just by turning the machine on with a certain CD in the drive; I use Macrium, but I don't know if that can be configured to run without user intervention.

Even if it's just _data_ recovery, I'd not rely on even a single click solution: for the customers you describe, scheduling it automatically sounds a whole lot safer. (To run at 3 a. m. so they can't say it interrupts what they are doing. Unless they turn off at night.)

Reply to
J. P. Gilliver (John)

I forgot to mention another significant constraint.

They are on a dreadful slow ADSL intermittent internet connection any kind of online backup is out of the question. Downloading software of any size is unreliable on site I have to download it at home and their upload speed is risible.

My solution for them is colour coded 64GB memory sticks for a grandfather, father, son backup regime which I think they can follow.

Reply to
Martin Brown

I have a copy of Paragon Drive Backup 8.0 SE (on a PC Plus CD from 2007) that I can make available, if that's any help.

Reply to
phil

That's a very fair point. The whole world assumes we all have fast unlimited internet and pushes us to do more and more online.

When I "escaped" from Demon and got a very fast FTTC connection it allowed me to completely change my approach to backup and all sort of other things.

I still have local backup as well, using an oldish NAS with 2 discs configured RAID something so they mirror and give me 2x 1Tb. Complete image backup manually from time to time, data files from specified folders hourly automatically. All set up in Windows but maybe Vista won't do it natively (I dodged the joys of Vista).

Assuming they have a router, would an always on NAS plugged in to router ethernet port give you the hardware answer?

Reply to
Richard_CC

Take a look at Secondcopy. That's what I have installed on the window boxes here. I have it copying new and changed file(s) to a NAS maintaining the directory/file structure. It also maintains an (optional) archive of deleted files. Doesn't have to be a NAS, USB harddrive or memory stick could be the target.

Secondcopy essentialy keeps a mirror of the host machine, rather than full/incremental backups.

If it needs the user to do something it won't happen or only happen once in a blue moon. Secondcopy can run every or as a log off event, so when ever a user logs off, the copy is automatically performed and the machine shutdown without the user being involved.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

Do they have material for which they really, really need off-site backup

- eg irreplaceable digital photos/scans of photos? A fire may seem a remote possibility but ...

If their internet connection won't wear even a sub-set of data being synchronised it'd not add much more cost to have a couple of USB sticks which get updated & swapped with family/friends periodically. But only idiot proof if you can find a non-idiot family member or friend to "pull" the revised version when they visit.

Reply to
Robin

En el artículo , Martin Brown escribió:

Not a bad idea. You could call the backup jobs "red stick", "blue stick", "yellow stick"

The things to remember about backup are:

  1. if it becomes a nuisance or more than a trivial chore, it just won't get done
  2. backup is only half the story. No backup is a backup until the ability to restore data has been proven.
Reply to
Mike Tomlinson

Yes. Good point.

More relevant for me though to be honest since I have a vast archive of scanned digital information some of which is of historical importance and almost irreplaceable. I must arrange a safe off site backup for it!

I am that non-idiot family member. I'll see how they feel about that. (and they can keep a copy of my archive safe in return)

Mine is backed up on multiple media and two independent machines but they are all in the same room!

Reply to
Martin Brown

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